First-Generation Art Gallery

A seed of expression planted four years ago continues to grow as TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) hosted its fourth annual First-Generation Art Gallery, showcasing creative work from first-generation TCU students on Thursday, April 2.

The SSS office serves first-generation students, students from low-income backgrounds and students with disabilities. The program provides resources and support to help students prepare for graduation and their next steps after college.

“The SSS Office really feels like a second home because of the community and support that we have,” said Stephanie Mendez, a first-generation junior criminal justice major and one of the gallery’s curators. 

Mendez first became involved with SSS as a freshman. After learning about the art gallery, she submitted her own work and later decided to help organize the event behind the scenes during her sophomore year.

In addition to its academic support services, the SSS office created the art gallery to give students opportunities to develop professional skills and showcase their work.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for students to be able to learn different skill sets that it takes to be marketable in the art world or field and then showcasing it to be celebrated throughout the campus,” Jowelle Mitchell, the assistant director of the SSS Office, said. 

The SSS Office wanted to not only reach out to students who are pursuing art, but those who use it as a medium to express themselves as well. 

“We used a lot of flyers all over campus to encourage students to submit their art,” Mitchell said. “We not only wanted students who were going into art as a career, but students who are pursuing nursing or psychology, whatever that might be. We wanted them to have the opportunity to showcase their efforts as well.” 

The artwork ranged from self-portraits and photography to paintings and clay. Alongside each piece was a short artist statement explaining the inspiration behind the work.

“I choose to create art because it challenges me to express myself in a way that I am unable to do with words,” Joseph Salazar, an undergraduate student artist, said in his statement. 

Throughout the gallery, visitors received marbles to place into vases displayed beside each artwork. Each marble color represented a different reaction: white signified inspiration and purple indicated a piece they particularly liked.

“The marbles gave students a way to show their appreciation for the art pieces and the vases were handmade by our SSS ambassadors and interns,” Mendez said. 

The artwork displayed in the gallery varied in style and medium, but each piece shared one common thread: it was created by a first-generation student.